Why do you think the author chose to begin with "the story of a righteous man," describing King Minos? How do we, over the course of the novel, see how problematic these "righteous men" are?

Why do you think the author chose to begin with "the story of a righteous man," describing Ariadne's father King Minos? How do we, over the course of the novel, see how problematic these "righteous men" are?

It seems that the "righteous men" were those who achieved in material ways - win wars, conquer challenges, expand control, etc. They were not concerned with the morality of action, just a result that justified their means; "righteous" with the inference of sarcasm.

I think this could have been for many reasons. One could be that this is the man that despite loathing him, Ariadne modeled her idea of men after. It makes sense then why she’s somehow still pulled in by two men who in their own ways are just as righteous as her father.

I also think it is to provide context in that most men from this “time period” are simply just on a gradient of righteousness - some better than others but all the same from beginning to end.

I think she is giving us an important “backstory,” while also setting the context: a world where women’s lives have no value. She is signaling to readers that this will be her focus in retelling the myth—-restoring meaning to the lives of the female characters, and inviting us to see the parallels with our own culture, not as much advanced as we might think.

Author Jennifer Saint begins her novel, "Adriadne," by orientating the reader not only to time and place, but to the character of kings, queens, princesses, and gods by her description of King Minos as "a righteous man." Ms. Saint informs the reader that King Minos is "righteous" in his own mind, but ---to some degree--- this may be a necessity. After all, if one is a king, one must show power and control to his subjects and enemies through strength, cunning, and skill, as well as determination.
King Minos has all these traits, but additionally he "does no wrong." Of course, that's the rub. As the story progresses his two daughters see "righteousness" as a trait not necessarily regal. Certainly, Adriadne feels "righteous" at times, as do many of the people/gods she encounters. One must internalize that feeling of "righteousness," certainly, as even "modern people" can be consumed by it.

I think the author introduces us to the “righteous man” in order to set the cultural context for the rest of the novel. We now know what behavior is acceptable, even admired, in the men of the period and we know what is acceptable for women. We also know the relative value of men and women in the culture. It provides a framework for our understanding of the actions and motivations of the characters in the remainder of the story.

While King Minos comes across as a cruel and heartless man, he was a man of his time and Ariadne knows this and is aware of the rules of the time and saw his actions as being a man of his time.

I guess we can say in many ways Ariadne was a sensible woman and knows she does not necessarily have the skills or rights to do what was "morally" so she knew she needed to be more cunning to outsmart the men of the time.

Being righteous means you think you know best for everyone. It invites pride and misuse of power. King Minos was cruel and selfish. He acted on behalf of everyone, but only benefited himself. Ariadne recognized that. She saw in him what she saw in the gods--a man who punished the women and children of his island for his failings.

Ariadne sought sanctuary from the gods, Minos and Theseus' actions. She sought peace, not only for herself, but for her sister, her children, and the Maenads.

With the introduction of King Minos as the “righteous man” we got a bit of the back story. We also saw how he punished someone who was in love with him and helped him. But he deemed this help as a disloyalty. We’re getting this story from Ariadne, so she’s giving hints of her own story. I’m not sure I agree that righteousness is from Minos’s perspective but from society’s perspective. Society saw him as a righteous man until perhaps it didn’t.

I do think the story serves to show that what society thinks of as righteous might not really be righteous. He basically seduces Scylla and then murders her once he’s gotten his way.

I felt it was to show the irony of the label of righteousness. Individuals in positions of power, especially royalty, are often given absurd titles which inversely show the ridiculousness of the individual.

Many of the stories that Ariadne will tell throughout her tales deal with the perceptions of men who are powerful and believe themselves to wield their power in service of a righteous cause. These men, like Minos, lack introspection. They are often narcissistic and can't allow their actions to be questioned. Often women suffer consequences they do not deserve, because the righteous man needs someone else to blame, deflecting attention from their own failings. The lessons of the book, at least for me, is to question the stories I have been told my whole life, knowing that in our patriarchal society, these stores are written from a male perspective. Knowing that Minos considers himself righteous is stage setting for the entire book.